In work and out of love: finding Ms Typical

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Just shy of her 37th birthday, she has one or two children. She
is increasingly likely to be a single mother, and her biggest
complaint about sex is lack of interest - on her own part. More and
more, this is a profile of the Australian Everywoman.

A report on women's lives compared with a decade ago, compiled
by the Federal Government's Office of the Status of Women, shows
they are also increasingly unhealthy. Obesity is rising and almost
three-quarters of women do little or no exercise.

The minister assisting the Prime Minister on women's issues, Kay
Patterson, will launch the report today, marking International
Women's Day.

Ten years ago, the average age of Australian women was a little
over 30. That was almost seven years younger than now.

And the woman of a decade ago was more likely than now to be
living with her partner and their children. In 1993, single-parent
families were 9 per cent of all families. A decade later, it had
grown to 15 per cent. The proportion of women living alone also
increased in those 10 years, from 11 to 13 per cent.

The report draws from various sources to illustrate women's
advances - or lack of them.

In 1992, 10 per cent of women who wanted to find work could not.
A decade later, that had dropped to 6 per cent. The long-term
jobless fell from 29 to 19 per cent of all unemployed women.

Divorces have increased from 13,900 in 1981 to 55,300 in 2001.
They rose by 5400 between 2000 and 2001 alone.

More than half of women report lack of interest as their main
sexual problem, compared with just over 20 per cent of men,
according to a study of 19,000 people, run by several universities
and health services, cited in the report. Body image was the next
greatest concern. Nearly 40 per cent of women said it affected
their experience of sex, while it bothered only 15 per cent of men.
About 30 per cent of women complained of not having an orgasm or
not enjoying sex. But some things are constant. The number of women
who have smoked marijuana remains about the same - a little under
35 per cent. So has the number who have tried harder drugs, such as
heroin, at about 2 per cent. Senator Patterson said the report
showed women had "the same or better outcomes than men in several
key areas such as education and health".

Other areas, such as domestic violence, showed little
improvement, with women still subject to sexual assault and more
likely to be kidnapped or abducted. "Today is about celebrating
[the] achievements and inspiring a commitment to sustaining and
improving the position of women in Australia," Senator Patterson
said.

Labor's spokeswoman for women, Tanya Plibersek, said the wage
gap between men and women had grown. In the five years after 1996,
the gap in their average wages grew from $229.10 a week to $310.90.
And there was still no Government support for paid maternity or
paternity leave.